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I possess a few opinions about the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {